The natural beauty of The Seychelles is so remarkable it often doesn't look real. Luckily, Jo's travel diary from her trip of a lifetime to The Seychelles with Constance Hotels & The Seychelles Tourism Board shows the range of diverse, stunning landscapes up close, although it has to be seen to be believed!

ABTA's annual Travel Trends report 2018 released last week predicted strong sales for overseas holidays this year. Faced with increased competition for convenient flights and popular destinations, people are booking ever earlier to secure their preferred resort or departure date.

City breaks and beach holidays remain the most popular choices, but twice as many people are planning to cruise this year as did last year, including more families and those aged 18-24. All-inclusive is popular particularly for those with young families, 34% of whom expect to take one in 2018.

New Horizons

A quarter of those polled were planning to visit a country they've never been to before with a third expecting to visit a new resort. New low-cost, long haul routes provide a great incentive for heading somewhere new. Celebrity travelogues such as the Real Marigold Hotel and its follow on series along with quality nature programmes like the BBC's Blue Planet II offer an engaging new perspective on familiar destinations for prime-time consumption.

The future looks bright.

Here are ABTA's 12 destinations to watch in 2018. Which is top of your list?

First-hand knowledge is something we pride ourselves on but getting caught up in a hurricane is perhaps a step too far! But our travel consultant, Paige, took it all in her stride on her recent trip to the Caribbean visiting Sandals’ exquisite resorts. This is her report…

With so many new hotels popping up in the United Arab Emirates, it can be hard to know which will best suit your needs. Luckily, we can share with you a personal experience of some of the top hotels in the UAE, including all the details from the number of pools, to the colour of the walls!